ABSTRACT Nadine Kopp. The Influence of the War of 1812 on Great Lakes Shipbuilding. (Under the Direction of Dr. Bradley Rodgers) Department of History, January 2012. The purpose of this thesis is to determine whether the War of 1812 influenced ship construction techniques on the Great Lakes. During the War of 1812, much of the fighting in the North American theater of war primarily took place along the Niagara frontier and later along the St. Lawrence River. From the outset, both the Americans and British realized that gaining the upper hand in the conflict depended upon control of the Great Lakes. Critical to achieving the advantage was the development of a significant and powerful inland navy, which led to a shipbuilding race on both shores. The primary question raised surrounding Great Lakes ship construction in the early nineteenth century is whether or not this large scale event, the War of 1812, permanently influenced the way in which ships were constructed once the war was over. To answer this question, this study examines diagnostic attributes of archaeologically examined wrecks from the Great Lakes and Lake Champlain from before, during and after the War of 1812 to find similarities and difference in their design and construction The three time periods have been defined as the period before the War of 1812, from the French and Indian War (1754 to 1763), when British sailing ships first appeared on the Great Lakes, up to 1811; the period of the War of 1812 itself (1812-1814); and the period after the war leading up to the opening of the Welland Canal (1829) and the widespread use of steam engines on the Great Lakes (1830s-1840s). By comparing the similarities and differences of construction traits between the three periods, it is possible to gain an understanding of the changes that took place in ship design and construction. The second aim of this thesis is to compare these diagnostic attributes with the Navy Bay Wreck, located in Kingston, Ontario, to attempt to determine when it was constructed. Tentative conclusions are drawn about the differences between ship construction techniques over time, that determined that the Navy Bay Wreck most likely was constructed in the period prior to the War of 1812. Historical research alongside the archaeological analysis aided in determining the Earl of Moira as the most likely candidate for the identity of this vessel. While the War of 1812 had significant political and social implications, the impact on ship construction on the Great Lakes was not as substantial. The War of 1812 did not completely revolutionize or transform ship construction on the Great Lakes but did have a minor impact on ship construction techniques employed during the early 19th century. THE INFLUENCE OF THE WAR OF 1812 ON GREAT LAKES SHIPBUILDING A Thesis Presented to The Faculty of the Department of History East Carolina University In Partial Fulfillment Of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Arts in History By Nadine Kopp January 2012 THE INFLUENCE OF THE WAR OF 1812 ON GREAT LAKES SHIPBUILDING by Nadine Kopp APPROVED BY: THESIS DIRECTOR: Dr. Brad Rodgers, Ph.D. COMMITTEE MEMBER: Dr. Nathan Richards, Ph.D. COMMITTEE MEMBER: Dr. Wade Dudley, Ph.D. COMMITTEE MEMBER: Jonathan Moore, M. Phil. Underwater Archaeologist, Parks Canada CHAIR OF THE DEPARTMENT: Dr. Gerald J. Prokopowicz, Ph.D. DEAN OF THE GRADUATE SCHOOL: Dr. Paul Gemperline, Ph.D. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I am greatly indebted to Jonathan Moore for suggesting the Navy Bay Wreck for a thesis topic and providing endless support and advice. I am particularly grateful to Brad Rodgers for working as my thesis director, helping me transform my original simple idea into something worthy of a thesis, providing patience and countless suggestions for the directions of my research. The archaeological examination of the Navy Bay Wreck would not have been possible without the dedicated volunteers upon whom I depended. They are Mike Hill, Dianne Groll, Ross and Lorna MacLean, Adam Rushton, Brandi Lockhart, Chris Haslip, Marg Barker, Anthea Chung, and Jenny Allen. Special thanks are also due to Henry Cary, as he provided his time for completing the total station survey of the site. I am grateful to the Parks Canada Underwater Archaeology Service for lending me equipment in order to complete this survey. Finally I would like to thank my parents for their boundless love and support. TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF TABLES ........................................................................................................................... I TABLE OF FIGURES .................................................................................................................. IV CHAPTER 1 : RESEARCH QUESTIONS AND DEFINITIONS OF DIAGNOSTIC SHIPBUILDING CHARACTERISTICS ....................................................................................... 1 Research Questions ..................................................................................................................... 2 Definitions of Diagnostic Shipbuilding Characteristics ............................................................. 5 CHAPTER 2 : INTRODUCTION AND HISTORY OF GREAT LAKES SHIPBUILDING ..... 10 CHAPTER 3 : PRE-WAR OF 1812 VESSELS ........................................................................... 47 Boscawen .................................................................................................................................. 48 Defence ..................................................................................................................................... 52 Nancy ........................................................................................................................................ 55 The Southampton Beach Wreck (General Hunter) .................................................................. 62 Hamilton (Diana) and Scourge (Lord Nelson) ......................................................................... 67 Pre-War of 1812 Vessel Attributes ........................................................................................... 73 CHAPTER 4 : WAR OF 1812 VESSELS .................................................................................... 81 U.S. Brig Eagle ......................................................................................................................... 81 HMS Linnet ............................................................................................................................... 89 U.S. Brig Jefferson .................................................................................................................... 93 HMS Princess Charlotte and HMS Prince Regent ................................................................. 100 HMS Princess Charlotte ..................................................................................................... 102 HMS Prince Regent ............................................................................................................ 108 HMS St. Lawrence .................................................................................................................. 111 War of 1812 Vessel Attributes ................................................................................................ 115 CHAPTER 5 : DETAILS OF POST- WAR OF 1812 VESSELS .............................................. 122 HMS Tecumseth and Newash ................................................................................................. 124 Millecoquins Wreck ................................................................................................................ 131 Griffon Cove Wreck ............................................................................................................... 134 Post-War of 1812 Vessel Attributes ....................................................................................... 138 CHAPTER 6 : THE NAVY BAY WRECK: A CASE STUDY ................................................ 143 CHAPTER 7 : CONCLUSIONS ................................................................................................ 159 REFERENCES ........................................................................................................................... 164 APPENDIX A: NAVY BAY WRECK WOOD SAMPLES REPORT...................................... 174 ii LIST OF TABLES Table 1: Characteristics of Pre-War of 1812 Vessels ................................................................... 75 Table 2: Characteristics of War of 1812 Vessels ........................................................................ 116 Table 3: Characteristics of Post-War of 1812 Vessels................................................................ 139 Table 4: List of characteristics of possible identities of the Navy Bay Wreck (from Moore 2006: 87) ............................................................................................................................................... 153 TABLE OF FIGURES Figure 2-1: Map of important locations discussed (modified from NOAA). ............................... 11 Figure 2-2: “A Plan of His Majesty’s Naval Yard Kingston…1815” shows Point Frederick and the dockyard and the ships of the Royal Navy force moored in Navy Bay or anchored along the shore (United Kingdom Hydrographic Office, Taunton, England, 193 Ael in Moore 2006: 17).............................................................................................. 42 Figure 3-1: A schematic view of Boscawen's frame construction (Crisman